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December 6, 2002

Marking the 160th anniversary of renowned English author Charles Dickens’ first visit to America, the Williamsburg Inn is honored to welcome back Gerald Charles Dickens, the author’s great-great-grandson, for the third consecutive year to perform his captivating one-man show, “A Christmas Carol.” Dickens’ devotees are invited to celebrate the season with Mr. Scrooge and his ghostly visitors during two spirited performances Wednesday, Dec. 11 and Thursday, Dec. 12.

The 36-year-old actor, who bears a striking resemblance to his ancestor, will use a variety of voices to portray the 26 different characters that appear in Charles Dickens’ 1843 story of Christmas past, present and future. Dressed in a frock coat, cravat and embroidered waistcoat, Gerald Dickens leaps, laughs and sobs as he actively interprets his ancestor’s timeless tale. The Williamsburg Inn will offer an afternoon tea with Dickens, priced at $38 for adults, $18 for children 12 and under, and a four-course dinner with Dickens, priced at $98 for adults, $38 for children 12 and under, both days in the Regency Dining Room.

Dickens has toured the United States and performed “A Christmas Carol” for the past five Christmas seasons. He has appeared at numerous theaters, historic hotels and Dickens festivals throughout the United States and Europe. “History, literature and biography spring to life when Gerald Dickens commands the stage,” said Caroline Jackson of Jackson Enterprises, Dickens’ manager. “Audiences respond to his genius with standing ovations and heartfelt affection.”

Back home in England, Dickens also is a producer and director. He loves to perform his great-great-grandfather’s works and as an actor, said he feels privileged. “I had a good script writer,” he said of Charles Dickens.

Gerald Dickens first began acting at age 9, but did not start performing his ancestor’s works until the 150th anniversary of the publication of “A Christmas Carol,” when a friend raising money for a historic restoration project asked him to re-create Dickens on stage.

Dickens has appeared on the History Channel’s “History’s Lost and Found” discussing “A Christmas Carol.” He has been interviewed on NBC’s “Today Show,” CBS’s “This Morning,” ABC’s “Good Morning America” and PBS stations throughout the United States. The New York Times has described Gerald Dickens’ performance as “a once in a lifetime brush with literary history.”